


Day #4 - Weapons

by Accal1a



Series: October Nickels Insanity (2019) [4]
Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux, Sidewinder Series - Abigail Roux
Genre: Animal Death, Gen, Light Angst, Past Violence, Wilderness Survival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-12-14 19:46:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21021257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Accal1a/pseuds/Accal1a
Summary: Kelly talks with his Camp Asskicker kids about wilderness survival, then accidentally shares too much.





	Day #4 - Weapons

**Author's Note:**

> I blame [astudyinfic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic). Go read _her_ October insanity [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20849234/chapters/49560635).
> 
> [mindfluff](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mindfluff) decided to join in on the madness too. Their fics start [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20853593#work_endnotes).

"Now, the best way of doing this is to cut a piece of wire about 2ft long, like this." Kelly said, showing the boys in front of him what he was doing. "Then you loop the end and secure it with…Conrad I _will_ leave you in these woods if you don't pay attention and without these _wilderness_ skills you won't be able to survive."

Conrad looked suitably chastised, and the boy next to him shoved him playfully and laughed. They were pretty sure Kelly wouldn't follow through on his threat. Okay 60% sure. 50% when they were really playing up.

"Now all you have to do is create this loop and secure it by twisting the wire around your finger. This is your slip knot. You feed the wire through, so you've got a proper loop. You with me so far?"

There were various nods from his charges, and he looked at what they had been making. They weren't bad for a first attempt.

"Right, now what you need to do is secure this to the ground. The best thing to do is to drill a hole through a piece of wood and secure the snare like that, but we don't always have power tools lying around."

The boys laughed. "Or even power _bars_ then we wouldn't need to trap rabbits." The boys laughed again.

"How are you doing with yours Jason?" Kelly asked pointedly.

Jason carried on with the instructions.

"So, what you need to do is once again improvise. Pick a piece of wood that has a hole in it but that can cope with the strain. Pick a piece of wood that's forked and can have that wound round, really anything that you can do. Then you can bury it. Go and see if you can find a suitable stick for it."

The boys all got up and scattered, making sure to stay within at least hearing distance of the camp so they couldn't get lost.

Kelly idly played with his own snare, and he remembered the last time he'd had to do the same. The situation had been rather dire at the time. It was during the SERE training and they'd been pinned down, unable to get back to a good evac zone, and they'd been stuck for days. The snares had kept them barely fed, but they had at least been fed. There were some marines who got back half starved and had to be sent to the medics. His team hadn't been that bad, and they'd passed the training, but it had been pretty harrowing at the time. He'd thought many times during it that perhaps he wasn't cut out for the work he was doing, but he kept going, knowing it would make his parents proud to see him in special forces. He remembered them a lot when he was out in those woods, just as he remembered them a lot when he was in these ones.

When the boys came back with their sticks, he critiqued them, showing them either why they would work perfectly or why they weren't suitable. With occasional exceptions, they listened attentively, and they managed to catch a few rabbits that evening for their meal. It was a weird dichotomy using the skills his dad had taught him while camping and the skill the DoD had taught him.

He wondered whether the memories of either would ever fade, and found himself wistful about both. The military had been hell in places but it had been a family, it had been a home. His cabin was his physical home now, but he didn't have a real home, not really.

The woods were the closest thing he had, and when he looked around him at the verdant greens and browns of the area he smiled. It wasn't a bad home after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Come and visit the [Cut & Run Discord Server](https://discord.gg/vvy6c76) and join us as we discuss/scream about this awesome series.
> 
> ~~~
> 
> Fancy joining a multi-fandom Discord server where you can <s>squee with</s> chat with like minded people? Have I got the place for you!
> 
> Come and join **The Fandom Playhouse**. You don't have to be mad to [join](https://discord.gg/82pvdE39fD), but it does help...


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